Salbutamol Infusion Calculator
Infusion preparation
Adult use. Prepare with 0.9% sodium chloride or 5% glucose.
5 mg in 500 mL (10 μg/mL)
250 μg over 1–2 minutes.
Equations
Infusion rate (mL/h) = dose (μg/min) × 60 / concentration (μg/mL)Loading-dose volume (mL) = 250 μg / concentration (μg/mL)5 mg / 500 mL = 10 μg/mL; 5 mg / 100 mL = 50 μg/mLReferences
- GlaxoSmithKline UK. Ventolin Solution for Intravenous Infusion 5 mg in 5 mL (1 mg/mL): Summary of Product Characteristics. Electronic Medicines Compendium. Text revised 13 April 2026; last updated on emc 29 April 2026. Accessed 21 September 2026. Available from: https://www.medicines.org.uk/emc/product/853/smpc
Please note: paediatric guidance dosage varies wildly compared with adult dosing, with doses up to 200mcg/min recommended by many prominent paediatric services around the world. This is obviously 10x the usual recommended adult maximum. Significant variation in dosage guidance is obviously a cause for concern, however this recent paper from Achara and Wood in BMJs Archives of Disease in Childhood 2024 reviews 58 cases of paediatric salbutamol toxicity from IV infusions and suggests doses above ~20mcg/min are associated much more frequently with salbutamol toxicity and adverse effects, without an increase in efficacy.
As always, any guidance or calculators on this site are only intended for Stu to use. They really aren’t safe for anyone else to use, and therefore shouldn’t be used by… anyone.